Front leaf control means for tilting front drawers



Aug. 24, 1937. F. e. STRAUBEL FRONT LEAF CONTROL MEANS FOR TILTING FRONT DRAWERS Filed June 10, 1956 3 Sheets-Sheet l I] n-vc mic z F reder 11675311. GS? rwabel,

Aug. 24, 1937. F. L. G. STRAUBEL FRONT LEAF CONTROL MEANS FOR TILTING FRONT DRAWERS Filed June 10, 1936 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 MederickL.G./$tmabd,

\Jttww;

g- 1937- F. L. G. STRAUBEL 2,090,647

FRONT LEAF CONTROL MEANS FOR TILTINO FRONT DRAWERS Filed June 10, 1936 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 upward movement of any given point on the follower plate relative to the tilting front. By any suitable spring means, comprising, for example, one or more torsion springs l2 coiled 5 about the follower plate pivot pin and engaged at its ends or their ends, as the case maybe, with the follower plate and the drawer, respectively, the follower plate is constantly urged inwardly for the purpose of engaging the front of the contents of the drawer and exerting holding .pressure thereagainst.

All of the foregoing is in accordance with prior practice asillustrated, described andiclaimediinthe patent of George C. Brainard, No. 2,055,170, dated September 22, 1936. However, according to prior practice there has been lacking any means of holding the follower plate P in an outwardly swung, out of the way position, permitting free access to the contents of the drawer, when the tilting front is open. Consequently, according to prior practice, it has been necessary to manually hold the follower plate swung forwardly whenever said plate has been found to interfere with handling of the contents of the drawer, and this has proved to be quite inconvenient inasmuch as it has not left free both hands of the person using the drawer.

Now, according to the embodiment of the present invention illustrated in Fig. 1, a gravity latch arm I! ispivoted at II to a bracket II ailixed to the follower plate P at the front thereof, and the inner wall of the tilting front is recessed 'as at It and is provided at the bottom of said recess with a tongue or keeper I1.

swinging movement of the'latch arm is suitably limited, as by means of an extension I! on said latch arm cooperating with'the front face of the follower plate, so that normally said latch arm extends forwardly from the follower at substantially right angles thereto. At its front or free end the bottom face of the latch arm is inclined downwardly and inwardly to the bottom of a rearwardly facing shoulder ll. The recess I8 is disposed to be entered by the front or free end is of the latch arm I! when the tilting front F is open and the follower plate is swung outwardly to a position substantially parallel to said tilting front, and the tongue or keeper I1 is disposed so that when the tilting front is open and the so follower plate-is swung'outwardly to cause the free end of the latch arm II to enter the recess ll, the inclined bottom end portion of the latch arm rides over said keeper and causes the latch arm to be lifted imtil the shoulder" has passed as said keeper, whereupon the latch gravitates to a position in which,its shoulder I! is disposed in front of the keeper l'l, thereby latching the follower plate in an out of the way, outwardly swung position. so Since downward swinging movement of the latch arm it is limited, and since said latch ann bodily moves upwardly relative to the tilting front F when said tilting front and the follower plate are swung inwardly from their outwardly swung 06 positions, the result is that when the tilting front is swunginwardly and about the time the same reaches its closed, vertical position, the latcharm It becomes disengaged from the keeper II and, as a'consequence, the spring or'springs i2 70 is or are permitted to act to swing the'follower plate inwardly'relative to the tilting front and against the front of the contents ofvthe drawer. Briefly stated, the present latch means leaves the follower plate P spring urged inwardly when 75 the tilting front 1' is opened; provides for" holding Downward the follower plate in an out of the way, outwardly swung position when the tilting front is in its outwardly swung or open position, and is automatically released to permit the follower plate to be spring-pressed inwardly against the drawer contents when the tilting front is swung inwardly to a closed or substantially closed position.

According to the Brainard Patent No. 2,055,170, the tilting front has pivoted to side wings thereof latches which engage keepers on the sides of the drawer to hold the tilting front closed, In Fig. 2 of the present drawings 20 designates the forward, laterally extending portion of a tilting front latch arm as illustrated in said Brainard patent, which latch arm, to all intents and purposes so far as concerns the present invention, comprises part of said tilting front. According to Figs. 2 and 2 'the invention is the same as described in connection with Fig. 1, except that the latch, designated as l3 is formed from sheet metal and cooperates with the tilting front latch arm 20 instead of with a keeper directly on the tilting front F.

According to the Fig. 8 embodiment of the invention the tilting front 1" is provided as usual with side wings, one of which is shown and des-- ignated as II, and, in accordance with the present invention, said wing is provided at its top with a keeper lug or tongue 22 aflixed thereto or struck upwardly therefrom. To the front of the follower plate P is fastened a bracket 23 having a pair of vertically spaced forwardly ex'tending arms 24, and in said bracket arms is vertically slidable a latch pin 2| which is urged downwardly by a coil spring 28 interposed between the upper bracket arm and a pin or shoulder II on said latch pin. Downward movement of the latch pin is limited by a, pin or shoulder 21 thereon engageable with the lower bracket arm. The latch pin 26 is mounted so that when the tilting front F is in its outwardly swung or open position and the follower plate is swung, outwardly, the latch pin rides over the keeper lug or tongue 22 and is projected downwardly in front thereof by the spring 20, thereby holding the follower plate in its outwardly swung, out of the way position. Due to the spaced relationship of the pivotal axes II and III of the tilting front and the follower plate, respectively, the latch pin rises relative to the keeper lug or tongue when the tilting front and the follower plate are swung inwardly, and becomes fully removed from in front of the keeper lug or tongue when the tilting front reaches approximately its closed, vertical position, thereby releasing the follower plate for inward swinging movement by its spring or springs II.

According to the Fig. 4 embodiment of the invention the construction is the same as the Fig. 1 construction with the exception that the latch arm, designated as fl, is rigid with the relative to. the keepertongue it due to the spaced relationship of the pivotal axes of the tilting front and the follower plate, and the follower plate becomes automatically released from the mately its closed position.

The Figs. 5 and 5 embodiment of the invention is the same as the Fig. 4 embodiment with tilting front when the latter reaches approxithe exception that the keeper, instead of being in the form of a resilient tongue, is comprised by a length of spring wire 30 which extends horizontally across an opening 3| in the inner wall 5 of the tilting front and is fastened to said wall to either side of said opening so that its medial portion is free to yield downwardly to permit operative engagement of the latch arm 32 therewith when the tilting front .is open and the follower plate is swung outwardly. The opening 3| is provided to accommodate the latch arm as will be understood, and while the keeper wire 30 may be fastened to the tilting front in any desired manner, it preferably is fastened to said tilting front by means of tongues 33 struck therefrom as shown. The operation obviously is the same as described in connection withthe Fig. 4 embodiment of the invention.

According to the Fig. 6 embodiment of the invention, the construction and mode of operation is the same as in the case of the embodiment of the invention illustrated in Fig. 2, with the exception that the latch arm 34 is rigid with the follower plate as in the Figs. 4 and 5 embodiments of the invention, the pivotal mounting of the tilting front latch arm 20 with which said latch arm 34 cooperates, permitting operative engagement of the latch arm therewith when the tilting front is open and the follower plate is swung outwardly.

Fig. 7 illustrates a reversal of the construction shown in Fig. 6. In other words, the followerplate latch arm, designated as 35, is carried by the tilting front latch arm 20 and cooperates 35 with a keeper in the form of a tongue 36 on the follower plate, the pivotal mounting of the latch arm 2!! as in the aforesaid Brainard patent and as shown in Fig. 6, permitting operative engagement of the latch arm 35 with the tongue 36 when the tilting front is open and the follower plate is swung outwardly, as in the case of the Fig. 6 embodiment of the invention.

According to the embodiment of the invention illustrated in Figs. 8 and 8, the tilting front F carries an inwardly extending headed pin 36 which enters an opening 31 in the follower plate P when the tilting front is in its open position and the follower plate is swung outwardly, the follower plate having a keeper in the form of a coil spring 39 secured across the opening 31. Ob-

viously, this construction may be reversed by providing the pin 36 on the follower plate and the spring 39 on the tilting front, as in the case of the Figs. 5 and 5 embodiment of the invention.

According to the Figs. 9 and 9 embodiment of the invention the tilting front F carries a headed pin 40 as in the case of the Figs. 8 and 8 embodiment of the invention, and the keeper, carried by the follower plate, is in the form of a pair of vertically disposed spring arms 4|, 4| between which the pin 40 enters when the follower plate is swung outwardly relative to the tilting front when the latter is open. As shown in Fig. 9 the spring arms are bowed outwardly as indicated at 42 to permit the head of the pin 40 to pass freely between them when, by closing movement of the tilting front, the pin 40 moves downwardly relative to the follower plate. Fig. 10 illustrates a reversal of the embodiment Lil 7 of the invention shown in Fig. 3, in that the,

spring projected latch pin 25 is carried by the tilting front F and cooperates with a keeper 22 carried by the follower plate P.

Obviously, according to each of the different 75 embodiments of the invention, there may be only a single latch element and keeper or any desired plurality of latch elements and keepers.

Without further description it is thought that the features and advantages of the invention will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and it will of course be understood that changes in the form, proportion and minor details of construction may be resorted to, without departing from the spirit of the invention and scope of the appended claims.

I claim: 6

1. A drawer having a tilting front swingable between a closed substantially vertical position and an open upwardly and outwardly inclined position, a follower plate mounted independently of said tilting front inwardly thereof for inward and outward swinging movement, spring means tending constantly to swing said follower plate inwardly, and latch means between the follower plate and the tilting front effective to hold the follower plate in an out of the way forwardly swung position when the tilting front is open and releasable by inward swinging movement of the tilting front.

2. A drawer having a tilting front swingable between a closed substantially vertical position and an open upwardly and outwardly inclined posi tion, a follower plate mounted independently of said tilting front inwardly thereof for inward and outward swinging movement, spring means tending constantly to swing said follower plate inwardly, and latch means efiective to hold the follower plate in an out of the way forwardly swung position when the tilting front is open and releasable by inward swinging movement of the tilting front.

3. A drawer having a tilting front swingable between a closed substantially vertical position and an open upwardly and outwardly inclined position, a follower plate mounted independently of said tilting front inwardly thereof for inward and outward swinging movement, spring means tending constantly to swing said follower plate inwardly, and latch means rendered effective by outward swinging movement of the follower plate to a predetermined position relative to the tilting front when the latter is open to secure the follower plate against inward swinging movement and released by inward swinging movement of the tilting front.

4. A drawer having a tilting front pivotally mounted adjacent to its bottom to a lower portion of the drawer for swinging movement between a closed substantially vertical position and an open upwardly and outwardly inclined position, a follower plate pivotally mounted adjacent to its bottom to a lower portion of the drawer at a point above and inwardly of the pivotal mounting of the tilting front, spring means tending constantly to swing the follower plate inwardly, and a latch and a cooperating keeper, one on the tilting front and the other on the follower plate, engageable by outward swinging movement of the follower plate relative to the tilting front when the latter is open to secure the follower plate against inward swinging movement and releasable to permit the follower plate to be swimg inwardly by its spring means by inward swinging movement ofthe tilting front and the follower plate.

5. A drawer as set forth in claim 4 in which the latch is pivoted.

6. A drawer as set forth in claim 4 in which the latch is rigid with the part by which it is 8. A drawer as set forth in claim 4 in which the latch is rigid and the keeper comprises a wire having a resilient medial portion engageable by said latch.

FREDERICK L. G. STRAUBEL. 

